Damosel, Damosella, Damoiselle

Dam"o*sel (?), Dam`o*sel"la (?), Da`moi`selle" (?), n. See Damsel. [Archaic]
Damourite
Dam"our*ite (?), n. [Ater the French chemist Damour.] (Min.) A kind of Muscovite, or potash mica, containing water.
Damp
Damp (?), n. [Akin to LG., D., & Dan. damp vapor, steam, fog, G. dampf, Icel. dampi, Sw. damb dust, and to MNG. dimpfen to smoke, imp. dampf.]
1. Moisture; humidity; fog; fogginess; vapor.
Night . . . with black air Accompanied, with damps and dreadful gloom. Milton.

2. Dejection; depression; cloud of the mind.
Even now, while thus I stand blest in thy presence, A secret damp of grief comes o'er my soul. Addison.

It must have thrown a damp over your autumn excursion. J. D. Forbes.

3. (Mining) A gaseous prodact, formed in coal mines, old wells, pints, etc. Choke damp, a damp consisting principally of carboni acid gas; -- so called from its extinguishing flame and animal life. See Carbonic acid, under Carbonic. -- Damp sheet, a curtain in a mine gallery to direct air currents and prevent accumulation of gas. -- Fire damp, a damp consisting chiefly of light carbureted hydrogen; -- so called from its tendence to explode when mixed with atmospheric air and brought into contact with flame.
Damp
Damp (?), a. [Compar. Damper (?); superl. Dampest.]
1. Being in a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist; humid.
O'erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear. Dryden.

2. Dejected; depressed; sunk. [R.]
All these and more came flocking, but with looks Downcast and damp. Milton.

Damp
Damp, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Damped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Damping.] [OE. dampen to choke, suffocate. See Damp, n.]
1. To render damp; to moisten; to make humid, or moderately wet; to dampen; as, to damp cloth.
2. To put out, as fire; to depress or deject; to deaden; to cloud; to check or restrain, as action or vigor; to make dull; to weaken; to discourage. To damp your tender hopes." Akenside.
Usury dulls and damps all industries, improvements, and new inventions, wherein money would be stirring if it were not for this slug. Bacon.

How many a day has been damped and darkened by an angry word! Sir J. Lubbock.

The failure of his enterprise damped the spirit of the soldiers. Macaulay.

Dampen
Damp"en (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dampened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dampening.]
1. To make damp or moist; to make slightly wet.
2. To depress; to check; to make dull; to lessen.
In a way that considerably dampened our enthusiasm. The Century.

Dampen
Damp"en, v. i. To become damp; to deaden. Byron.
Damper
Damp"er (?), n. That which damps or checks; as: (a) A valve or movable plate in the flue or other part of a stove, furnace, etc., used to check or regulate the draught of air. (b) A contrivance, as in a pianoforte, to deaden vibrations; or, as in other pieces of mechanism, to check some action at a particular time.
Nor did Sabrina's presence seem to act as any damper at the modest little festivities. W. Black.

Dampish
Damp"ish (?), a. Moderately damp or moist. -- Damp"ish*ly, adv. -- Damp"ish*ness, n.
Dampne
Damp"ne (?), v. t. To damn. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Dampness
Damp"ness, n. Moderate humidity; moisture; fogginess; moistness.
Damp off
Damp" off` (?). To decay and perish through excessive moisture.
Dampy
Damp"y (?), a.
1. Somewhat damp. [Obs.] Drayton.
2. Dejected; gloomy; sorrowful. [Obs.] Dispel dampy throughts." Haywards.
Damsel
Dam"sel (?), n. [OE. damosel, damesel, damisel, damsel, fr. OF. damoisele, damisele, gentlewoman, F. demoiselle young lady; cf. OF. damoisel young nobleman, F. damoiseau; fr. LL. domicella, dominicella, fem., domicellus, dominicellus, masc., dim. fr. L. domina, dominus. See Dame, and cf. Demoiselle, Doncella.]
1. A young person, either male or female, of noble or gentle extraction; as, Damsel Pepin; Damsel Richard, Prince of Wales. [Obs.]
2. A young unmarried woman; a gerl; a maiden.
With her train of damsels she was gone, In shady walks the scorching heat to shum. Dryden.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, . . . Goes by to towered Cameleot. Tennyson.

3. (Milling) An attachment to a millstone spindle for shaking the hoppe.
Damson
Dam"son (?), n. [OE. damasin the Damascus plum, fr. L. Damascenus. See Damascene.] A small oval plum of a blue color, the fruit of a variety of the Prunus domestica; -- called also damask plum.
Dan
Dan (?), n. [OE. dan, danz, OF. danz (prop. only nom.), dan, master, fr. L. dominus. See Dame.] A title of honor equivalent to master, or sir. [Obs.]
Old Dan Geoffry, in gently spright The pure wellhead of poetry did dwell. Spenser.

What time Dan Abraham left the Chaldee land. Thomson.

Dan
Dan, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Mining) A small truck or sledge used in coal mines.
Danaide
Da"na*ide (?), n. [From the mythical Danaides, who were condemned to fill with water a vessel full of holes.] (Mach.) A water wheel having a vertical axis, and an inner and outer tapering shell, between which are vanes or floats attached usually to both shells, but sometimes only to one.
Danaite
Da"na*ite (?), n. [Named after J. Freeman Dana.] (Min.) A cobaltiferous variety of arsenopyrite.
Danalite
Da"na*lite (?), n. [Named after James Dwight Dana.] (Min.) A mineral occuring in octahedral crystals, also massive, of a reddish color. It is a silicate of iron, zinc manganese, and glicinum, containing sulphur.
Danburite
Dan"bu*rite (?), n. (Min.) A borosilicate of lime, first found at Danbury, Conn. It is near the topaz in form. Dana.
Dance
Dance (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Danced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dancing.] [F. danser, fr. OHG. dansn to draw; akin to dinsan to draw, Goth. apinsan, and prob. from the same root (meaning to stretch) as E. thin. See Thin.]
1. To move with measured steps, or to a musical accompaniment; to go through, either alone or in company with others, with a regulated succession of movements, (commonly) to the sound of music; to trip or leap rhytmically.
Jack shall pipe and Gill shall dance. Wiher.

Good shepherd, what fair swain is this Which dances with your dauther? Shak.

2. To move nimbly or merrily; to express pleasure by motion; to caper; to frisk; to skip about.
Then, 'tis time to dance off. Thackeray.

More dances my rapt heart Than when I first my wedded mistress saw. Shak.

Shadows in the glassy waters dance. Byron.

Where rivulets dance their wayward round. Wordsworth.
To dance on a rope, ∨ To dance on nothing, to be hanged.
Dance
Dance (?), v. t. To cause to dance, or move nimbly or merrily about, or up and down; to dandle.
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind. Shak.

Thy grandsire loved thee well; Many a time he danced thee on his knee. Shak.
To dance attendance, to come and go obsequiously; to be or remain in waiting, at the beck and call of another, with a view to please or gain favor.
A man of his place, and so near our favor, To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasure. Shak.

Dance
Dance, n. [F. danse, of German origin. See Dance, v. i.]
1. The leaping, tripping, or measured stepping of one who dances; an amusement, in which the movements of the persons are regulated by art, in figures and in accord with music.
2. (Mus.) A tune by which dancing is regulated, as the minuet, the waltz, the cotillon, etc. &hand; The word dance was used ironically, by the older writers, of many proceedings besides dancing.
Of remedies of love she knew parchance For of that art she couth the olde dance. Chaucer.
Dance of Death (Art), an allegorical representation of the power of death over all, -- the old, the young, the high, and the low, being led by a dancing skeleton. -- Morris dance. See Morris. -- To lead one a dance, to cause one to go through a series of movements or experiences as if guided by a partner in a dance not understood.
Dancer
Dan"cer (?), n. One who dances or who practices dancing. The merry dancers, beams of the northern lights when they rise and fall alternately without any considerable change of length. See Aurora borealis, under Aurora.
Danceress
Dan"cer*ess, n. A female dancer. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Dancetté
Dan`cet`té" (?), a. [Cf. F. danché dancetté, dent tooth.] (Her.) Deeply indented; having large teeth; thus, a fess dancetté has only three teeth in the whole width of the escutcheon.
Dancing
Dan"cing (?), p. a. & vb. n. from Dance. Dancing girl, one of the women in the East Indies whose profession is to dance in the temples, or for the amusement of spectators. There are various classes of dancing girls. -- Dancing master, a teacher of dancing. -- Dancing school, a school or place where dancing is taught.
Dancy
Dan"cy (?), a. (Her.) Same as Dancetté.
Dandelion
Dan"de*li`on (?), n. [F. dent de lion lion's tooth, fr. L. dens tooth + leo lion. See Tooth, n., and Lion.] (Bot.) A well-known plant of the genus Taraxacum (T. officinale, formerly called T. Dens-leonis and Leontodos Taraxacum) bearing large, yellow, compound flowers, and deeply notched leaves.
Dander
Dan"der (?), n. [Corrupted from dandruff.]
1. Dandruff or scurf on the head.
2. Anger or vexation; rage [Low] Halliwell.
Dander
Dan"der, v. i. [See Dandle.] To wander about; to saunter; to talk incoherently. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
Dandi
Dan"di (?), n. [Hind. , fr. an oar.] A boatman; an oarsman. [India]
Dandie
Dan"die (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of a breed of small terriers; -- called also Dandie Dinmont.
Dandified
Dan"di*fied (?), a. Made up like a dandy; having the dress or manners of a dandy; buckish.
Dandify
Dan"di*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dandified (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dandifying.] [Dandy + -fy.] To cause to resemble a dandy; to make dandyish.
Dandiprat
Dan"di*prat (?), n. [Dandy + brat child.]
1. A little fellow; -- in sport or contempt. A dandiprat hop-thumb." Stanyhurst.
2. A small coin.
Henry VII. stamped a small coin called dandiprats. Camden.

Dandle
Dan"dle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dandled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dandling (?).] [Cf. G. dändeln to trifly, dandle, OD. & Prov. G. danten, G. tand trifly, prattle; Scot. dandill, dander, to go about idly, to trifly.]
1. To move up and down on one's knee or in one's arms, in affectionate play, as an infant.
Ye shall be dandled . . . upon her knees. Is.

2. To treat with fondness, as if a child; to fondle; to toy with; to pet.
They have put me in a silk gown and gaudy fool's cap; I as ashamed to be dandled thus. Addison.

The book, thus dandled into popularity by bishops and good ladies, contained many pieces of nursery eloquence. Jeffrey.

3. To play with; to put off or delay by trifles; to wheedle. [Obs.]
Captains do so dandle their doings, and dally in the service, as it they would not have the enemy subdued. Spenser.

Dandler
Dan"dler (?), n. One who dandles or fondles.
Dandriff
Dan"driff (?), n. See Dandruff. Swift.
Dandruff
Dandruff (?), n. [Prob. from W. toncrust, peel, skin + AS. drf dirty, draffy, or W. drwg bad: cf. AS. tan a letter, an eruption. &root;240.] A scurf which forms on the head, and comes off in small or particles. [Written also dandriff.]
Dandy
Dan"dy (?), n.; pl. Dandies (#). [Cf. F. dandin, ninny, silly fellow, dandiner to waddle, to play the fool; prob. allied to E. dandle. Senses 2&3 are of uncertain etymol.]
1. One who affects special finery or gives undue attention to dress; a fop; a coxcomb.
2. (Naut.) (a) A sloop or cutter with a jigger on which a lugsail is set. (b) A small sail carried at or near the stern of small boats; -- called also jigger, and mizzen.
3. A dandy roller. See below. Dandy brush, a yard whalebone brush. -- Dandy fever. See Dengue. -- Dandy line, a kind of fishing line to which are attached several crosspieces of whalebone which carry a hook at each end. -- Dandy roller, a roller sieve used in machines for making paper, to press out water from the pulp, and set the paper.
Dandy-cock, n. masc., Dandy-hen
Dan"dy-cock` (), n. masc., Dan"dy-hen` (), n. fem. [See Dandy.] A bantam fowl.
Dandyish
Dan"dy*ish, a. Like a dandy.
Dandyism
Dan"dy*ism (?), n. The manners and dress of a dandy; foppishness. Byron.
Dandyise
Dan"dy*ise (?), v. t. & i. To make, or to act, like a dandy; to dandify.
Dandyling
Dan"dy*ling (?), n. [Dandy + ling.] A little or insignificant dandy; a contemptible fop.
Dane
Dane (?), n. [LL. Dani: cf. AS. Dene.] A native, or a naturalized inhabitant, of Denmark. Great Dane. (Zoöl.) See Danish dog, under Danish.
Danegeld, Danegelt
Dane"geld` (?), Dane"gelt` (?), n. [AS. danegeld. See Dane, and Geld, n.] (Eng. Hist.) An annual tax formerly laid on the English nation to buy off the ravages of Danish invaders, or to maintain forces to oppose them. It afterward became a permanent tax, raised by an assessment, at first of one shilling, afterward of two shillings, upon every hide of land throughout the realm. Wharton's Law Dict. Tomlins.
Danewort
Dane"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A fetid European species of elder (Sambucus Ebulus); dwarf elder; wallwort; elderwort; -- called also Daneweed, Dane's weed, and Dane's-blood. [Said to grow on spots where battles were fought against the Danes.]
Dang
Dang (?), imp. of Ding. [Obs.]
Dang
Dang, v. t. [Cf. Ding.] To dash. [Obs.]
Till she, o'ercome with anguish, shame, and rage, Danged down to hell her loathsome carriage. Marlowe.

Danger
Dan"ger (?), n. [OE. danger, daunger, power, arrogance, refusal, difficulty, fr. OF. dagier, dongier (with same meaning), F. danger danger, fr. an assumed LL. dominiarium power, authority, from L. dominium power, property. See Dungeon, Domain, Dame.]
1. Authority; jurisdiction; control. [Obs.]
In dangerhad he . . . the young girls. Chaucer.

2. Power to harm; subjection or liability to penalty. [Obs.] See In one's danger, below.
You stand within his danger, do you not? Shak.

Covetousness of gains hath brought [them] in dangerof this statute. Robynson (More's Utopia).

3. Exposure to injury, loss, pain, or other evil; peril; risk; insecurity.
4. Difficulty; sparingness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
5. Coyness; disdainful behavior. [Obs.] Chaucer. In one's danger, in one's power; liable to a penalty to be inflicted by him. [Obs.] This sense is retained in the proverb, Out of debt out of danger."
Those rich man in whose debt and danger they be not. Robynson (More's Utopia).
-- To do danger, to cause danger. [Obs.] Shak. Syn. -- Peril; hazard; risk; jeopardy. -- Danger, Peril, Hazard, Risk, Jeopardy. Danger is the generic term, and implies some contingent evil in prospect. Peril is instant or impending danger; as, in peril of one's life. Hazard arises from something fortuitous or beyond our control; as, the hazard of the seas. Risk is doubtful or uncertain danger, often incurred voluntarily; as, to risk an engagement. Jeopardy is extreme danger. Danger of a contagious disease; the perils of shipwreck; the hazards of speculation; the risk of daring enterprises; a life brought into jeopardy.
Danger
Dan"ger, v. t. To endanger. [Obs.] Shak.
Dangerful
Dan"ger*ful (?), a. Full of danger; dangerous. [Obs.] -- Dan"ger*ful*ly, adv. [Obs.] Udall.
Dangerless
Dan"ger*less, a. Free from danger. [R.]
Dangerous
Dan"ger*ous (?), a. [OE., haughty, difficult, dangerous, fr. OF. dangereus, F. dangereux. See Danger.]
1. Attended or beset with danger; full of risk; perilous; hazardous; unsafe.
Our troops set forth to-morrow; stay with us; The ways are dangerous. Shak.

It is dangerous to assert a negative. Macaulay.

2. Causing danger; ready to do harm or injury.
If they incline to think you dangerous To less than gods. Milton.

3. In a condition of danger, as from illness; threatened with death. [Colloq.] Forby. Bartlett.
4. Hard to suit; difficult to please. [Obs.]
My wages ben full strait, and eke full small; My lord to me is hard and dangerous. Chaucer.

5. Reserved; not affable. [Obs.] Of his speech dangerous." Chaucer. -- Dan"ger*ous*ly, adv. -- Dan"ger*ous*ness, n.
Dangle
Dan"gle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dangled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dangling (?).] [Akin to Dan. dangle, dial. Sw. dangla, Dan. dingle, Sw. dingla, Icel. dingla; perh. from E. ding.] To hang loosely, or with a swinging or jerking motion.
he'd rather on a gibbet dangle Than miss his dear delight, to wrangle. Hudibras.

From her lifted hand Dangled a length of ribbon. Tennyson.
To dangle about ∨ after, to hang upon importunately; to court the favor of; to beset.
The Presbyterians, and other fanatics that dangle after them, are well inclined to pull down the present establishment. Swift.

Dangle
Dan"gle (?), v. t. To cause to dangle; to swing, as something suspended loosely; as, to dangle the feet.
And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume. Sir W. Scott.

Dangleberry
Dan"gle*ber`ry (?), n. (Bot.) A dark blue, edible berry with a white bloom, and its shrub (Gaylussacia frondosa) closely allied to the common huckleberry. The bush is also called blue tangle, and is found from New England to Kentucky, and southward.
Dangler
Dan"gler (?), n. One who dangles about or after others, especially after women; a trifler. Danglers at toilets." Burke.
Daniel
Dan"i*el (?), n. A Hebrew prophet distinguished for sagacity and ripeness of judgment in youth; hence, a sagacious and upright judge.
A Daniel come to judgment. Shak.

Danish
Dan"ish (?), a. [See Dane.] Belonging to the Danes, or to their language or country. -- n. The language of the Danes. Danish dog (Zoöl.), one of a large and powerful breed of dogs reared in Denmark; -- called also great Dane. See Illustration in Appendix.
Danite
Dan"ite (?), n.
1. A descendant of Dan; an Israelite of the tribe of Dan. Judges xiii. 2.
2. [So called in remembrance of the prophecy in Gen. xlix. 17, Dan shall be a serpent by the way," etc.] One of a secret association of Mormons, bound by an oath to obey the heads of the church in all things. [U. S.]
Dank
Dank (?), a. [Cf. dial, Sw. dank a moist place in a field, Icel. dökk pit, pool; possibly akin to E. damp or to daggle dew.] Damp; moist; humid; wet.
Now that the fields are dank and ways are mire. Milton.

Cheerless watches on the cold, dank ground. Trench.

Dank
Dank, n. Moisture; humidity; water. [Obs.]
Dank
Dank, n. A small silver coin current in Persia.
Dankish
Dank"ish, a. Somewhat dank. -- Dank"ish*ness, n.
In a dark and dankish vault at home. Shak.

Dannebrog
Dan"ne*brog (?), n. The ancient battle standard of Denmark, bearing figures of cross and crown. Order of Dannebrog, an ancient Danish order of knighthood.
Danseuse
Dan`seuse" (?), n. [F., fr. danser to dance.] a professional female dancer; a woman who dances at a public exhibition as in a ballet.
Dansk
Dansk (?), a. [Dan.] Danish. [Obs.]
Dansker
Dansk"er (?), n. A Dane. [Obs.]
Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris. Shak.

Dantean
Dan*te"an (?), a. Relatingto, emanating from or resembling, the poet Dante or his writings.
Dantesque
Dan*tesque" (?), a. [Cf. It. Dantesco.] Dantelike; Dantean. Earle.
Danubian
Da*nu"bi*an (?), a. Pertainingto, or bordering on, the river Danube.
Dap
Dap (?), v. i. [Cf. Dip.] (Angling) To drop the bait gently on the surface of the water.
To catch a club by dapping with a grasshoper. Walton.

Dapatical
Da*pat"ic*al (?), a. [L. dapaticus, fr. daps feast.] Sumptuous in cheer. [Obs.] Bailey.
Daphne
Daph"ne (?), n. [L., a laurel tree, from Gr. .]
1. (Bot.) A genus of diminutive Shrubs, mostly evergreen, and with fragrant blossoms.
2. (Myth.) A nymph of Diana, fabled to have been changed into a laurel tree.
Daphnetin
Daph"ne*tin (?), n. (Chem.) A colorless crystalline substance, C9H6O4, extracted from daphnin.
Daphnia
Daph"ni*a (?), n. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A genus of the genus Daphnia.
Daphnin
Daph"nin (?), n. [Cf. F. daphnine.] (Chem.) (a) A dark green bitter resin extracted from the mezereon (Daphne mezereum) and regarded as the essential principle of the plant. [R.] (b) A white, crystalline, bitter substance, regarded as a glucoside, and extracted from Daphne mezereum and D. alpina.
Daphnomancy
Daph"no*man`cy (?), n. [Gr. da`fnh the laurel + -mancy.] Divination by means of the laurel.
Dapifer
Dap"i*fer (?), n. [L., daps a feast + ferre to bear.] One who brings meat to the table; hence, in some countries, the official title of the grand master or steward of the king's or a nobleman's household.
Dapper
Dap"per (?), a. [OE. daper; prob. fr. D. dapper brave, valiant; akin to G. tapfer brave, OHG. taphar heavy, weighty, OSlav. dobr&ucr; good, Russ. dobrui. Cf. Deft.] Little and active; spruce; trim; smart; neat in dress or appearance; lively.
He wondered how so many provinces could be held in subjection by such a dapper little man. Milton.

The dapper ditties that I wont devise. Spenser.

Sharp-nosed, dapper steam yachts. Julian Hawthorne.

Dapperling
Dap"per*ling (?), n. A dwarf; a dandiprat. [r.]
Dapple
Dap"ple (?), n. [Cf. Icel. depill a spot, a dot, a dog with spots over the eyes, dapi a pool, and E. dimple.] One of the spots on a dappled animal.
He has . . . as many eyes on his body as my gray mare hath dapples. Sir P. Sidney.

Dapple, Dappled
Dap"ple (?), Dap"pled (?), a. Marked with spots of different shades of color; spotted; variegated; as, a dapple horse.
Some dapple mists still floated along the peaks. Sir W. Scott.
&hand; The word is used in composition to denote that some color is variegated or marked with spots; as, dapple-bay; dapple-gray.
His steed was all dapple-gray. Chaucer.

O, swiftly can speed my dapple-gray steed. Sir W. Scott.

Dapple
Dap"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dappled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dappling.] To variegate with spots; to spot.
The gentle day, . . . Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray. Shak.

The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior.

Darbies
Dar"bies (?), n. pl. Manacles; handcuffs. [Cant]
Jem Clink will fetch you the darbies. Sir W. Scott.
&hand; In The Steel Glass" by Gascoigne, printed in 1576, occurs the line To binde such babes in father Derbies bands."
Darby
Dar"by (?), n. A plasterer's float, having two handles; -- used in smoothing ceilings, etc.
Darbyite
Dar"by*ite (?), n. One of the Plymouth Brethren, or of a sect among them; -- so called from John N. Darby, one of the leaders of the Brethren.
Dardanian
Dar*da"ni*an (?), a. & n.[From L. Dardania, poetic name of Troy.] Trojan.
Dare
Dare (?), v. i. [imp. Durst (?) or Dared (); p. p. Dared; p. pr. & vb. n. Daring.] [OE. I dar, dear, I dare, imp. dorste, durste, AS. ic dear I dare, imp. dorste. inf. durran; akin to OS. gidar, gidorsta, gidurran, OHG. tar, torsta, turran, Goth. gadar, gada\'a3rsta, Gr. tharsei^n, tharrei^n, to be bold, tharsy`s bold, Skr. Dhrsh to be bold. &root;70.] To have adequate or sufficient courage for any purpose; to be bold or venturesome; not to be afraid; to venture.
I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. Shak.

Why then did not the ministers use their new law? Bacause they durst not, because they could not. Macaulay.

Who dared to sully her sweet love with suspicion. Thackeray.

The tie of party was stronger than the tie of blood, because a partisan was more ready to dare without asking why. Jowett (Thuyd.).
&hand; The present tense, I dare, is really an old past tense, so that the third person is he dare, but the form he dares is now often used, and will probably displace the obsolescent he dare, through grammatically as incorrect as he shalls or he cans. Skeat.
The pore dar plede (the poor man dare plead). P. Plowman.

You know one dare not discover you. Dryden.

The fellow dares nopt deceide me. Shak.

Here boldly spread thy hands, no venom'd weed Dares blister them, no slimly snail dare creep. Beau. & Fl.
&hand; Formerly durst was also used as the present. Sometimes the old form dare is found for durst or dared.
Dare
Dare, v. y. [imp. & p. p. Dared; p. pr. & vb. n. Daring.]
1. To have courage for; to attempt courageously; to venture to do or to undertake.
What high concentration of steady feeling makes men dare every thing and do anything? Bagehot.

To wrest it from barbarism, to dare its solitudes. The Century.

2. To challenge; to provoke; to defy.
Time, I dare thee to discover Such a youth and such a lover. Dryden.

Dare
Dare, n.
1. The quality of daring; venturesomeness; boldness; dash. [R.]
It lends a luster . . . A large dare to our great enterprise. Shak.

2. Defiance; challenge.
Childish, unworthy dares Are not enought to part our powers. Chapman.

Sextus Pompeius Hath given the dare to Cæsar. Shak.

Dare
Dare, v. i. [OE. darien, to lie hidden, be timid.] To lurk; to lie hid. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Dare
Dare, v. t. To terrify; to daunt. [Obs.]
For I have done those follies, those mad mischiefs, Would dare a woman. Beau. & Fl.
To dare larks, to catch them by producing terror through to use of mirrors, scarlet cloth, a hawk, etc., so that they lie still till a net is thrown over them. Nares.
Dare
Dare, n. [See Dace.] (Zoöl.) A small fish; the dace.
Dare-devil
Dare"-dev`il (?), n. A reckless fellow. Also used adjectively; as, dare-devil excitement.
A humorous dare-devil -- the very man To suit my prpose. Ld. Lytton.

Dare-deviltry
Dare"-dev`il*try (?), n; pl. Dare-deviltries (). Reckless mischief; the action of a dare-devil.
Dareful
Dare"ful (?), a. Full af daring or of defiance; adveturous. [R.] Shak.
Darer
Dar"er (?), n. One who dares or defies.
Darg, Dargue
Darg, Dargue (?), n. [Scot., contr. fr. day work.] A day's work; also, a fixed amount of work, whether more or less than that of a day. [Local, Eng. & Scott]
Daric
Dar"ic (?), n. [Gr. , of Persian origin.]
1. (Antiq.) (a) A gold coin of ancient Persia, weighing usually a little more than 128 grains, and bearing on one side of the figure of an archer. (b) A silver coin of about 86 grains, having the figure of an archer, and hence, in modern times, called a daric.
2. Any very pure gold coin.
Daring
Dar"ing (?), n. Boldness; fearlessness; adventurousness; also, a daring act.
Daring
Dar"ing, a. Bold; fearless; adventurous; as, daring spirits. -- Dar"ing*ly, adv. -- Dar"ing*ness, n.
Dark
Dark (?), a. [OE. dark, derk, deork, AS. dearc, deorc; cf. Gael. & Ir. dorch, dorcha, dark, black, dusky.]
1. Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as, a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, Irrecoverable dark, total eclipse Without all hope of day! milton.

In the dark and silent grave. Sir W. Raleigh.

2. Not clear to the understanding; not easily through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.
The dark problems of existence. Shairp.

What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain. Hooker.

What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word? Shak.

3. Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant.
The age wherin he lived was dark, but he Cobld not want light who taught the world oto see. Denhan.

The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediæval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night. Hallam.

4. Evincing blaxk or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as, a dark villain; a dark deed.
Left him at large to his own dark designs. Milton.

5. Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious.
More dark and dark our woes. Shak.

A deep melancholy took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature. Macaulay.

There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. W. Irving.

6. Deprived of sight; blind. [Obs.]
He was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years. Evelyn.
&hand; Dark is sometimes used to qualify another adjective; as, dark blue, dark green, and sometimes it forms the first part of a compound; as, dark-haired, dark-eyed, dark-colored, dark-seated, dark-working. A dark horse, in racing or politics, a horse or a candidate whose chances of success are not known, and whose capabilities have not been made the subject of general comment or of wagers. [Colloq.] -- Dark house, Dark room, a house or room in which madmen were confined. [Obs.] Shak. -- Dark lantern. See Lantern. -- The Dark Ages, a period of stagnation and obscurity in literature and art, lasting, according to Hallam, nearly 1000 years, from about 500 to about 1500 A. D.. See Middle Ages, under Middle. -- The Dark and Bloody Ground, a phrase applied to the State of Kentucky, and said to be the significance of its name, in allusion to the frequent wars that were waged there between Indians. -- The dark day, a day (May 19, 1780) when a remarkable and unexplained darkness extended over all New England. -- To keep dark, to reveal nothing. [Low]
Dark
Dark (?), n.
1. Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light.
Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out. Shak.

2. The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy.
Look, what you do, you do it still i' th' dark. Shak.

Till we perceive by our own understandings, we are as muc in the dark, and as void of knowledge, as before. Locke.

3. (Fine Arts) A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as, the light and darks are well contrasted.
The lights may serve for a repose to the darks, and the darks to the lights. Dryden.

Dark
Dark, v. t. To darken to obscure. [Obs.] Milton.
Darken
Dark"en (?), v. t. [Imp. & p. p. Darkened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Darkening (?).] [AS. deorcian. See Dark, a.]
1. To make dark or black; to deprite of light; to obscure; as, a darkened room.
They [locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened. Ex. x. 15.

So spake the Sovran Voice; and clouds began To darken all the hill. Milton.

2. To render dim; to deprive of vision.
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Rom. xi. 10.

3. To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.
Such was his wisdom that his confidence did seldom darkenhis foresight. Bacon.

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Job. xxxviii. 2.

4. To cast a gloom upon.
With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not The mirth of the feast. Shak.

5. To make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
I must not think there are Evils enough to darken all his goodness. Shak.

Darken
Dark"en, v. i. To grow or darker.
Darkener
Dark"en*er (?), n. One who, or that which, darkens.
Darkening
Dark"en*ing, n. Twilight; gloaming. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wright.
Darkful
Dark"ful (?), a. Full of darkness. [Obs.]
Darkish
Dark"ish (?), a. Somewhat dark; dusky.
Darkle
Dar"kle (?), v. i. [Freq. of dark.] To grow dark; to show indistinctly. Thackeray.
Darkling
Dark"ling (?), adv. [Dark + the adverbial suffix -ling.] In the dark. [Poetic]
So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling. Shak.

As the wakeful bird Sings darkling. Milton.

Darkling
Dark"ling, p. pr. & a.
1. Becoming dark or gloomy; frowing.
His honest brows darkling as he looked towards me. Thackeray.

2. Dark; gloomy. The darkling precipice." Moore.
Darkly
Dark"ly, adv.
1. With imperfect light, clearness, or knowledge; obscurely; dimly; blindly; uncertainly.
What fame to future times conveys but darkly down. Dryden.

so softly dark and darkly pure. Byron.

2. With a dark, gloomy, cruel, or menacing look.
Looking darkly at the clerguman. Hawthorne.

Darkness
Dark"ness, n.
1. The absence of light; blackness; obscurity; gloom.
And darkness was upon the face of the deep. Gen. i. 2.

2. A state of privacy; secrecy.
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light. Matt. x. 27.

3. A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity.
Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John. iii. 19.

Pursue these sons of darkness: drive them out From all heaven's bounds. Milton.

4. Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity; as, the darkness of a subject, or of a discussion.
5. A state of distress or trouble.
A day of clouds and of thick darkness. Joel. ii. 2.
Prince of darkness, the Devil; Satan. In the power of the Prince of darkness." Locke. Syn. -- Darkness, Dimness, Obscurity, Gloom. Darkness arises from a total, and dimness from a partial, want of light. A thing is obscure when so overclouded or covered as not to be easily perceived. As tha shade or obscurity increases, it deepens into gloom. What is dark is hidden from view; what is obscure is difficult to perceive or penetrate; the eye becomes dim with age; an impending storm fills the atmosphere with gloom. When taken figuratively, these words have a like use; as, the darkness of ignorance; dimness of discernment; obscurity of reasoning; gloom of superstition.
Darksome
Dark"some (?), a. Dark; gloomy; obscure; shaded; cheerless. [Poetic]
He brought him through a darksome narrow pass To a broad gate, all built of beaten gold. Spenser.

Darky
Dark"y (?), n. A negro. [Sleng]
Darling
Dar"ling (?), n. [OE. derling, deorling, AS. deórling; deóre dear + -ling. See Dear, and -ling.] One dearly beloved; a favorite.
And can do naught but wail her darling's loss. Shak.

Darling
Dar"ling, a. Dearly beloved; regarded with especial kindness and tenderness; favorite. Some darling science." I. Watts. Darling sin." Macaulay.
Darlingtonia
Dar`ling*to"ni*a (?), n. [NL. Named after Dr. William Darlington, a botanist of West Chester, Penn.] (Bot.) A genus of California pitcher plants consisting of a single species. The long tubular leaves are hooded at the top, and frequently contain many insects drowned in the secretion of the leaves.
Darn
Darn (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Darning.] [OE. derne, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. darnio to piece, break in pieces, W. & Arm. to E. tear. Cf. Tear, v. t.] To mend as a rent or hole, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by means of a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread.
He spent every day ten hours in his closet, in darning his stockins. Swift.
Darning last. See under Last. -- Darning needle. (a) A long, strong needle for mending holes or rents, especially in stockings. (b) (Zoöl.) Any species of dragon fly, having a long, cylindrical body, resembling a needle. These flies are harmless and without stings. [In this sense, usually written with a hyphen.] Called also devil's darning-needle.
Darn
Darn, n. A place mended by darning.
Darn
Darn, v. t. A colloquial euphemism for Damn.
Darnel
Dar"nel (?), n. [OE. darnel, dernel, of uncertain origin; cf. dial. F. darnelle, Sw. dår-repe; perh. named from a supposed intoxicating quality of the plant, and akin to Sw. dåra to infatuate, OD. door foolish, G. thor fool, and Ee. dizzy.] (Bot.) Any grass of the genus Lolium, esp. the Lolium temulentum (bearded darnel), the grains of which have been reputed poisonous. Other species, as Lolium perenne (rye grass or ray grass), and its variety L. Italicum (Italian rye grass), are highly esteemed for pasture and for making hay. &hand; Under darnel our early herbalists comprehended all kinds of cornfield weeds. Dr. Prior.
Darner
Darn"er (?), n. One who mends by darning.
Darnex, Darnic
Dar"nex (?), Dar"nic (?), n. Same as Dornick.
Daroo
Da*roo", n. (Bot.) The Egyptian sycamore (Ficus Sycamorus). See Sycamore.
Darr
Darr (?), n. (Zoöl.) The European black tern.
Darraign, Darrain
Dar"raign, Dar"rain, (?), v. t. [OF. deraisnier to explain, defend, to maintain in legal action by proof and reasonings, LL. derationare; de- + rationare to discourse, contend in law, fr. L. ratio reason, in LL., legal cause. Cf. Arraign, and see Reason.]
1. To make ready to fight; to array. [Obs.]
Darrain your battle, for they are at hand. Shak.

2. To fight out; to contest; to decide by combat. [Obs.] To darrain the battle." Chaucer .
Darrein
Dar"rein, a. [OF. darrein, darrain, fr. an assumed LL. deretranus; L. de + retro back, backward.] (Law) Last; as, darrein continuance, the last continuance.
Dart
Dart (?), n. [OF. dart, of German origin; cf. OHG. tart javelin, dart, AS. dara, daro, Sw. dart dagger, Icel. darrar dart.]
1. A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; a short lance; a javelin; hence, any sharp-pointed missile weapon, as an arrow.
And he [Joab] took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 2 Sa. xviii. 14.

2. Anything resembling a dart; anything that pierces or wounds like a dart.
The artful inquiry, whose venomed dart Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart. Hannan More.

3. A spear set as a prize in running. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. (Zoöl.) A fish; the dace. See Dace. Dart sac (Zoöl.), a sac connected with the reproductive organs of land snails, which contains a dart, or arrowlike structure.
Dart
Dart, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darted; p. pr. & vb. n. Darting.]
1. To throw with a sudden effort or thrust, as a dart or other missile weapon; to hurl or launch.
2. To throw suddenly or rapidly; to send forth; to emit; to shoot; as, the sun darts forth his beams.
Or what ill eyes malignant glances dart? Pope.

Dart
Dart, v. i.
1. To fly or pass swiftly, as a dart.
2. To start and run with velocity; to shoot rapidly along; as, the deer darted from the thicket.
Dartars
Dar"tars (?), n. [F. dartre eruption, dandruff. 240.] A kind of scab or ulceration on the skin of lambs.
Darter
Dart"er (?), n.
1. One who darts, or who throw darts; that which darts.
2. (Zoöl.) The snakebird, a water bird of the genus Plotus; -- so called because it darts out its long, snakelike neck at its prey. See Snakebird.
3. (Zoöl.) A small fresh-water etheostomoid fish. The group includes numerous genera and species, all of them American. See Etheostomoid.
Dartingly
Dart"ing*ly (?), adv. Like a dart; rapidly.
Dartle
Dar"tle (?), v. t. & i. To pierce or shoot through; to dart repeatedly: -- frequentative of dart.
My star that dartles the red and the blue. R. Browning.

Dartoic
Dar*to"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the dartos.
Dartoid
Dar"toid (?), a. [Dartos + -oid.] (Anat.) Like the dartos; dartoic; as, dartoid tissue.
Dartos
Dar"tos (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. flayed.] (Anat.) A thin layer of peculiar contractile tissue directly beneath the skin of the scrotum.
Dartrous
Dar"trous (?), a. [F. dartreux. See Dartars.] (Med.) Relating to, or partaking of the nature of, the disease called tetter; herpetic. Dartroud diathesis, A morbid condition of the system predisposing to the development of certain skin deseases, such as eczema, psoriasis, and pityriasis. Also called rheumic diathesis, and hipretism. Piffard.
Darwinian
Dar*win"i*an (?), a. [From the name of Charles Darwin, an English scientist.] Pertaining to Darwin; as, the Darwinian theory, a theory of the manner and cause of the supposed development of living things from certain original forms or elements. &hand; This theory was put forth by Darwin in 1859 in a work entitled The Origin of species by Means of Natural Selection." The author argues that, in the struggle for existence, those plants and creatures best fitted to the requirements of the situation in which they are placed are the ones that will live; in other words, that Nature selects those which are survive. This is the theory of natural selection or the survival of the fillest. He also argues that natural selection is capable of modifying and producing organisms fit for their circumstances. See Development theory, under Development.
Darwinian
Dar*win"i*an, n. An advocate of Darwinism.
Darwinianism
Dar*win"i*an*ism (?), n. Darwinism.
Darwinism
Dar"win*ism (?), n. (Biol.) The theory or doctrines put forth by Darwin. See above. Huxley.
Dase
Dase (?), v. t. See Daze. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Dasewe
Dase"we (?), v. i. [OE. dasewen, daswen; cf. AS. dysegian to be foolish.] To become dim-sighted; to become dazed or dazzled. [Obs.] Chauscer.
Dash
Dash (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dashed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dashing.] [Of. Scand. origin; cf. Dan daske to beat, strike, Sw. & Icel. daska, Dan. & Sw. dask blow.]
1. To throw with violence or haste; to cause to strike violently or hastily; -- often used with against.
If you dash a stone against a stone in the botton of the water, it maketh a sound. Bacon.

2. To break, as by throwing or by collision; to shatter; to crust; to frustrate; to ruin.
Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Ps. ii. 9.

A brave vessel, . . . Dashed all to pieces. Shak.

To perplex and dash Maturest counsels. Milton.

3. To put to shame; to confound; to confuse; to abash; to depress. South.
Dash the proud gameser in his gilded car. Pope.

4. To throw in or on in a rapid, careless manner; to mix, reduce, or adulterate, by throwing in something of an inferior quality; to overspread partially; to bespatter; to touch here and there; as, to dash wine with water; to dash paint upon a picture.
I take care to dash the character with such particular circumstance as may prevent ill-natured applications. Addison.

The very source and fount of day Is dashed with wandering isles of night. Tennyson.

5. To form or sketch rapidly or carelessly; to execute rapidly, or with careless haste; -- with off; as, to dash off a review or sermon.
6. To erase by a stroke; to strike out; knock out; -- with out; as, to dash out a word.
Dash
Dash, v. i. To rust with violence; to move impetuously; to strike violently; as, the waves dash upon rocks.
[He] dashed through thick and thin. Dryden.

On each hand the gushing waters play, And down the rough cascade all dashing fall. Thomson.

Dash
Dash, n.
1. Violent striking together of two bodies; collision; crash.
2. A sudden check; abashment; frustration; ruin; as, his hopes received a dash.
3. A slight admixture, infusion, or adulteration; a partial overspreading; as, wine with a dash of water; red with a dash of purple.
Innocence when it has in it a dash of folly. Addison.

4. A rapid movement, esp. one of short duration; a quick stroke or blow; a sudden onset or rush; as, a bold dash at the enemy; a dash of rain.
She takes upon her bravely at first dash. Shak.

5. Energy in style or action; animation; spirit.
6. A vain show; a blustering parade; a flourish; as, to make or cut a great dash. [Low]
7. (Punctuation) A mark or line [--], in writing or printing, denoting a sudden break, stop, or transition in a sentence, or an abrupt change in its construction, a long or significant pause, or an unexpected or epigrammatic turn of sentiment. Dashes are also sometimes used instead of marks or parenthesis. John Wilson.
8. (Mus.) (a) The sign of staccato, a small mark [] denoting that the note over which it is placed is to be performed in a short, distinct manner. (b) The line drawn through a figure in the thorough bass, as a direction to raise the interval a semitone.
9. (Racing) A short, spirited effort or trial of speed upon a race course; -- used in horse racing, when a single trial constitutes the race.
Dashboard
Dash"board` (?), n.
1. A board placed on the fore part of a carriage, sleigh, or other vechicle, to intercept water, mud, or snow, thrown up by the heels of the horses; -- in England commonly called splashboard.
2. (Naut.) (a) The float of a paddle wheel. (b) A screen at the bow af a steam launch to keep off the spray; -- called also sprayboard.
Dasher
Dash"er (?), n.
1. That which dashes or agitates; as, the dasher of a churn.
2. A dashboard or splashboard. [U. S.]
3. One who makes an ostentatious parade. [Low]
Dashing
Dash"ing, a. Bold; spirited; showy.
The dashing and daring spirit is preferable to the listless. T. Campbell.

Dashingly
Dash"ing*ly, adv. Conspicuously; showily. [Colloq.]
A dashingly dressed gentleman. Hawthorne.

Dashism
Dash"ism (?), n. The character of making ostentatious or blustering parade or show. [R. & Colloq.]
He must fight a duel before his claim to . . . dashism can be universally allowed. V. Knox.

Dashpot
Dash"pot` (?), n. (Mach.) A pneumatic or hydraulic cushion for a falling weight, as in the valve gear of a steam engine, to prevent shock. <-- letters refer to illustration --> &hand; It consists of a chamber, containing air or a liquid, in which a piston (a), attached to the weight, falls freely until it enters a space (as below the openings, b) from which the air or liquid can escape but slowly (as through cock c), when its fall is gradually checked. A cataract of an engine is sometimes called a dashpot.
Dashy
Dash"y (?), a. [From Dash.] Calculated to arrest attention; ostentatiously fashionable; showy. [Colloq.]
Dastard
Das"tard (?), n. [Prob. from Icel. dæstr exhausted. breathless, p. p. of dæsa to groan, lose one's breath; cf. dasask to become exhausted, and E. daze.] One who meanly shrinks from danger; an arrant coward; a poltroon.
You are all recreants and dashtards, and delight to live in slavery to the nobility. Shak.

Dastard
Das"tard, a. Meanly shrinking from danger; cowardly; dastardly. Their dastard souls." Addison.
Dastard
Das"tard, v. t. To dastardize. [R.] Dryden.
Dastardize
Das"tard*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dastardized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dastardizing.] To make cowardly; to intimidate; to dispirit; as, to dastardize my courage. Dryden.
Dastardliness
Das"tard*li*ness (?), n. The quality of being dastardly; cowardice; base fear.
Dastardly
Das"tard*ly, a. Meanly timid; cowardly; base; as, a dastardly outrage.
Dastardness
Das"tard*ness, n. Dastardliness.
Dastardy
Das"tard*y (?), n. Base timidity; cowardliness.
Daswe
Das"we (?), v. i. See Dasewe [Obs.] Chaucer.
Dasymeter
Da*sym"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. rough, thick + -meter.] (Physics) An instrument for testing the density of gases, consisting of a thin glass globe, which is weighed in the gas or gases, and then in an atmosphere of known density.
Dasypædal
Das`y*pæ"dal (?), a. (Zoöl.) Dasypædic.
Dasypædes
Das`y*pæ"des (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. hairy, shaggy + , , a child.] (Zoöl.) Those birds whose young are covered with down when hatched.
Dasypædic
Das`y*pæ"dic (?), a. (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the Dasypædes; ptilopædic.
Dasyure
Das"y*ure (?), n. [Gr. thick, shaggy + tail: cf. F. dasyure.] (Zoöl.) A carnivorous marsupial quadruped of Australia, belonging to the genus Dasyurus. There are several species.
Dasyurine
Das`y*u"rine (?), a. (Zoöl.) Pertaining to, or like, the dasyures.
Data
Da"ta (?), n. pl. [L. pl. of datum.] See Datum.
Datable
Dat"a*ble (?), a. That may be dated; having a known or ascertainable date. Datable almost to a year." The Century.
Dataria
Da*ta"ri*a (?), n. [LL., fr. L. datum given.] (R. C. Ch.) Formerly, a part of the Roman chancery; now, a separate office from which are sent graces or favors, cognizable in foro externo, such as appointments to benefices. The name is derived from the word datum, given or dated (with the indications of the time and place of granting the gift or favor).
Datary
Da"ta*ry (?), n. [LL. datarius. See Dataria.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) An officer in the pope's court, having charge of the Dataria.
2. The office or employment of a datary.
Date
Date, n.[F. datte, L. dactylus, fr. Gr. , prob. not the same word as finger, but of Semitic origin.] (Bot.) The fruit of the date palm; also, the date palm itself. &hand; This fruit is somewhat in the shape of an olive, containing a soft pulp, sweet, esculent, and wholesome, and inclosing a hard kernel. Date palm, ∨ Date tree (Bot.), the genus of palms which bear dates, of which common species is Phœnix dactylifera. See Illust. -- Date plum (Bot.), the fruit of several species of Diospyros, including the American and Japanese persimmons, and the European lotus (D. Lotus). -- Date shell, ∨ Date fish (Zoöl.), a bivalve shell, or its inhabitant, of the genus Pholas, and allied genera. See Pholas.